


Showcase Showdown

by sundancekid



Category: The Avengers (2012)
Genre: M/M
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2012-10-09
Updated: 2012-10-09
Packaged: 2017-11-15 23:08:39
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 649
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/532791
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/sundancekid/pseuds/sundancekid
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>"This is why I don't go undercover," Tony says, for at least the fifth time.</p>
            </blockquote>





	Showcase Showdown

**Author's Note:**

> Originally written for the "common fandom tropes" meme, for the prompt "forced to share a bed." Thanks to [lokitty11](http://lokitty11.livejournal.com) for the prompt!

"This is why I don't go undercover," Tony says, for at least the fifth time.

"You weren't my first choice of partner, either," Natasha says coolly. They're staring around the cabin they've been assigned. They're at a resort for a party (they're not really _undercover_ , obviously, they're just going as Tony Stark, newly single and back on the prowl, and his hot date Natalie), and they weren't planning to stay the night, but a freak storm rose up just after four, and now it's ten p.m. and the only road out has been washed away. Tony wanted to call in the Quinjet, but it's out of commission after their battle with Doombots three weeks ago, and SHIELD refused to send any of their jets. Maria Hill had not sounded sorry at all when she told Tony, "You're just going to have to tough it out overnight, Stark."

So they have this crappy tiny cabin and there's only one bed. And it's only a queen. The injustice of it all. And there's three of them, because of course Steve tagged along. He seems to do that a lot -- he rarely gets assigned missions of his own, so he just turns up on his teammates'. He's "undercover" as Steven Grant, a college kid awed by all these rich folks at this here fancy party, gee whiz.

Natasha opens her purse, reapplies her lipstick, swiftly and deftly and without a mirror, and says, "Well, I've got to go. Mr. Strahan let me know none too subtly that the fact I'm here with another man didn't deter him, so I'm off to find out what he knows."

She pats Steve on the back. "You boys have fun now." There is a level of smug amusement in her voice that Tony feels is positively indecent.

"Shall we take it in shifts?" Steve asks when she goes. "I can take first watch."

"This isn't really the kind of mission that requires watches," Tony says, flopping down onto the bed. "It's fine. I guess. I mean, I can share. I've totally done it before. I think."

Steve actually rolls his eyes at Tony. The nerve.

Tony surfs through the four channels the room gets idly, going through the cycle multiple times while Steve sits on the floor by the door. 

Finally Steve says, "Can't you just pick a show?"

"No," Tony responds, not bothering to look over. But a minute later he's stopped on a _Price Is Right_ rerun, because that was the least offensive of his crappy choices. Tony's not that great at most _Price Is Right_ games -- he does not care what things cost, seriously -- and Steve is still adjusting to seventy years of inflation, so between them, they are truly terrible. But after just a few minutes, Steve gets sucked in. He asks a lot of questions, watches intently, studying the games like he studies a battle, and eventually comes to sit on the bed next to Tony, the better to yell at the television, "No, can't you see the washer is more expensive? Oh, man, you did not turn that wheel hard enough, you're going to land on the thirty-cent one, that's not going to be enough." He gestures widely with his arm as the wheel lands, sure enough, on the thirty cent slot, and bumps Tony's shoulder while he does it. 

There's another episode after that, and another. It's not the worst thing that's ever happened, actually. Tony's actually having fun, stuck in this cabin with Steve watching game show reruns. Huh.

When Natasha finds them in the morning, Steve is flat on his back, and Tony is facing toward him, faceplanted into Steve's shoulder, his ankles locked around Steve's calf. On TV, a woman is trying to win a trip to the Bahamas from Drew Carey.

She doesn't say anything, but the look on her face says it all.

**Author's Note:**

> Feedback and con crit are very welcome.


End file.
